Monday 13 March is the 10th anniversary of the tragedy when most of the Year 1 class at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland (UK) were murdered by a man with legally owned handguns. Sixteen small children and their teacher were killed; 12 more children and 2 teachers were wounded.

On the first anniversary in 1997, people all over the world lit candles in their homes to remember the children and their teacher. Their families recall how comforting they found this, and have asked the public to do the same this year.

You can read some press coverage of the 10th anniversary and send a message of support to the families.

The public outcry after the massacre led to handguns being banned from private ownership in Britain. Yet figures released by IANSA reveal that despite worldwide shock and calls for action after Dunblane, the continued availability of firearms globally has led to the needless deaths and injuries of many more children. Since 1996, at least 256 children and 198 adults have been gunned down in schools around the world. Another 840 children and adults have been injured in school shootings. Read IANSA’s press release here.